Joy as Heston is rescued from 10ft hole after 48-hour search

It’s the miracle that has touched the hearts of every dog lover in South Holland – Heston the terrier has been rescued after being trapped in a 10ft deep rabbit hole, 48 hours after going missing in Moulton Chapel.

Owner Liz Elcoate, her 16-year-old daughter Jasmine, friends and family were distraught when the mischievous hound with a serious heart condition didn’t come home after a walk along the river bank last Monday.

Liz, who lives in Norfolk, said: “I was staying at my parents’ home at Crown Hall farm while they were in Scotland and took Heston, his brother Henry and two other dogs for a walk while Jasmine stayed at home revising for her GCSEs.

“There are a lot of rabbit holes along the bank and Henry disappeared, as terriers do, and then Heston disappeared.

“I looked around, calling for a long time and then went home to pick Jasmine up.

“She was devasted. Heston is her baby. We have both been through a lot since moving away and Jasmine has been unwell – he’s kept her going. She really didn’t need this just before her GCSEs.

Dad’s become superman – he really is the hero of the hour. He just wouldn’t give up

“On the way back Henry appeared and I expected Heston to follow, but there was no sign of him.”

Liz tweeted for help and the Free Press posted a story in the hope readers would spot Hestson, who they’ve owned for five years since a puppy.

She said: “I continued searching and calling throughout the night in the rain but nothing.

“In the morning some guys from the farm started digging gently around the holes in the bank because sometimes dogs go down the tunnels and they collapsed.

“We kept digging all day. Then my step-dad, Howard Clark, came home and he carried on with his big digger. He said he wasn’t going to give up.

“When I woke up on Wednesday I had a horrible feeling someone had picked him up and we’d never see him again. I’d returned to Norfolk because Jasmine needed to go back to school before her exams and it was a deeply stressful time for both of us.

“When my step-dad called to say he’d found him, I couldn’t speak for 30 seconds. He’s got his big digger out and gently removed the top of this huge hole and out Heston popped.

“Dad’s become superman – he really is the hero of the hour. He just wouldn’t give up.”

Heston has been recovering at a vets in Kirton after incurring a bad infection on his chin while trapped underground.

Liz said: “We were’s able to see him until yesterday when we collected him because of his heart condition, but heard he’s been flirting with all the nurses. That’s typically Heston!”